Religion
History (to be removed) Long ago, in the pre-historic era, gods and mortals lived together in peace. The Gods could travel between theirs and the mortal plane at will. Before recorded history, war broke out between the Gods, and a small group of them went deep underground to avoid the storm. A faction of elves followed ever-devoted to their masters, eventually becoming the dwarves. Those who stayed on the surface continued elven society for millenia, until the peace was interrupted by yet another war amongst the gods, this one proving far more violent. Some were corrupted and became Demons, creating their own plane in the ether to return to. The war raged on for hundreds of years, until those in the mortal plane decided to attempt to put an end to it all. They tried to use magic to sever the demonic plane from the rest, but accidentally cut the ether off entirely, sealing both Gods and Demons alike out of their world forever; even the dwarven Gods, who remained entirely out of the conflict, were lost. The Severing was catastrophic, and most mortals died. War broke out when those who severed the planes were shunned, and in the end, almost all records were lost. It was effectively a societal apocalypse, and everything needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Though severed, some say the Gods and Demons still manage to influence the mortal plane in small ways. It is said that the humans and kadron were created by the Gods or Demons soon before being sealed out of the world, though there is dispute as to when and how. The Gods can name Arbiters, either of the mortal races or adhen/edhen, to be their champions. Most arbiters were locked on the other side of the ether after the God War. Each belief holds different views on how the world will end. The Severing of Planes The Severing of Planes, or simply the Severing (referred to by some as "The Sundering") was the event that ended the pre-historic era and began the Ages. Its significance is observed by elves, humans, and dwarves. The buyúd outright deny that it ever occurred, believing their god Yakul still roams Kandarria's seas. They believe that Yakul may have killed the surfacers' gods, or perhaps defeated them so terribly that they've spent the entirety of recorded history regaining their strength. The kadron simply do not care, and foreign races doubt that any such event ever took place, each with their own belief systems and gods. Interestingly, foreigners have no records of Valoria existing as a continent prior to the Severing. Very little is known and understood of the events preceding it, but one thing is certain: the Gods that once watched over the elves, dwarves, and buyúd mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a veritable societal apocalypse--and two new races, the humans and kadron--in their wake. Traditional Human Beliefs -- Faith of the Twelve Hearts Those who follow traditional human belief, the Faith of the Twelve Hearts, revere a pantheon of Gods, and fear a pantheon of Demons. Once, there were twelve Gods who lived among mortals, traveling back and forth between their realm and Kandarria. But four of the Gods turned on the other eight, became corrupted, and transformed into Demons. In a joint attempt between mortals and their Gods to lock the Demons outside of Kandarria, they accidentally caused the Severing, sealing the ether shut. The Demons were banished, but so were the Gods. It is said that each God had two hearts; one buried deep beneath Kandarria's surface, and one in their own realms. These acted as their source for life, as well as the hub through which they traveled from one realm to the other. It is believed that the Demons' worldly hearts were corrupted--likely by mortal traitors--which is what turned them evil. It is also believed that the ether could be reopened if the hearts could be found once more and cured. Human belief holds that the God that one lives closest to in life will be the God one's soul is given to after death, to their own unique realm of the afterlife, to wait for rebirth. Living too closely to a Demon will result in the same, however, and it can result in rebirth as a wild beast (human belief holds that the monsters of the world are damned mortal souls reborn to serve Demons), or being trapped in the Demon's realm for all eternity. Occasionally, a damned soul may find themselves trapped simultaneously in a Demon's realm, as well as in the mortal plane, resulting in some form of specter. Gods: * Multix, God of the Cycle of Life, Funeral Rites, and Meditation, and Sleep -- portrayed as a dark-haired woman in a black cloak, often with her eyes covered, occasionally wielding a knife, and/or surrounded by flames, which are often dim and sometimes green, silhouetted on dreary and sometimes nightmarish backdrops * Pesh, God of Nature, Natural Beauty, the Skies, Stars, Sun, Animal Life, and Childbirth -- portrayed as a colorful woman with hundreds of feathers and leaves growing from her, or as a living tree (borrowed from elven cultures) * Gildur, God of Light, Morning, Wakefulness, Purity from Sin and Witchcraft, and Healthy Crops -- portrayed as a golden knight wielding a shield, as well as either sword or a hoe, silhouetted by the sunrise * Brulidir, God of Strength, Hard Work, Commerce, Commitment, and Marriage -- portrayed as male in various labor jobs, often with his palms placed on his chest and his fingers interlocked, associated with anvils and pyramids (representing sturdiness), is often the most human-looking of the gods; considered husband to Bas * Harathan, God of Warmth, Rain, Love, Physical Beauty, and Sex -- portrayed possessing the most desirable qualities of both sexes, often in a long and flowing (yet open) robe * Zethennia, God of Luck, Chance, the Bad that comes with Good, Winter, and Serenity -- portrayed as having two faces representing two separate personalities, one calm and serene, the other boil-ridden and mad, surrounded by ice; the moons are said to be their children * Bas, God of Morality, Law, Logic, and Meditation -- portrayed as blind, wielding a staff, and shepherding a flock of mortals; considered wife to Brulidir * Xith the All-Father, God of the World, the Heavens, Creation, and Magic -- portrayed as a giant made of stone, or sometimes very harsh flesh, growing trees from his back; said to be the father of all other Gods; said to have forged the world out of magic itself, the one constant in the universe Demons: * Yrvia, Demon of Domination, Greed, and Vengeance -- portrayed as a flaming, hellish man * Nihlus, Demon of Beasts, Disease, and Corruption -- portrayed as a dragon * Voth, Demon of Shadows, the Unknown, and Secrets -- portrayed as a shadowy horned woman * Krathul, Demon of Change, Storms, and Disaster -- portrayed as a sea monster New Elven Beliefs Those who follow newer elven beliefs (typically city elves) revere a pantheon of Gods who they believe were locked outside of the mortal plane with the creation of the ether, a great injustice. They resent the Hells, spirits who inhabit entire realms in the cosmos. The Hells stand opposed to each other in an endless contest to seduce mortal souls, forever feeding until they have enough strength to break the ether and claim Kandarria, binding it to the victor forever. They believe that two separate wars took place among the Gods, not just one. The first resulted in the death of the God of Time, forcing the world down a linear path. The second war occurred thousands of years later, and resulted in the Severing. The Gods still watch over the world through the Eight Lights, constellations that each are composed of one of the eight brightest stars in the night sky. Elves believe Kandarria's atmosphere--which, in their eyes, encompasses Ivor and Vras--is the ether itself (standing opposed to human belief that the moons are realms beyond Kandarria's reach). They believe that the side of day encompasses the Hells (it is hot and chaotic), and that the side of night encompasses the Gods' realm, the Heavens (it is cool and serene). Elven belief holds that living closely to a god will win its favor, and you will go on to serve them for all eternity after death. Falling prey to the wiles of one of the Hells, however, will land you stuck in them forever. This would provide a small portion of the energy your Hell needs to bring about the apocalypse. Gods: * Multix, God of the Cycle of Life, Funeral Rites, and Meditation, and Sleep -- portrayed as a dark-haired woman in a black cloak, often with her eyes covered, occasionally wielding a knife, and/or surrounded by flames, which are often dim and sometimes green, silhouetted on dreary and sometimes nightmarish backdrops * Pesh, God of Nature, Natural Beauty, the Skies, Stars, Sun, Animal Life, and Childbirth -- portrayed as a colorful woman with hundreds of feathers and leaves growing from her, or as a living tree (borrowed from elven cultures) * Gildur, God of Light, Morning, Wakefulness, Purity from Sin and Witchcraft, and Healthy Crops -- portrayed as a golden knight wielding a shield, as well as either sword or a hoe, silhouetted by the sunrise * Brulidir, God of Strength, Hard Work, Commerce, Commitment, and Marriage -- portrayed as male in various labor jobs, often with his palms placed on his chest and his fingers interlocked, associated with anvils and pyramids (representing sturdiness), is often the most human-looking of the gods; considered husband to Bas * Harathan, God of Warmth, Rain, Love, Physical Beauty, and Sex -- portrayed possessing the most desirable qualities of both sexes, often in a long and flowing (yet open) robe * Zethennia, God of Luck, Chance, the Bad that comes with Good, Winter, and Serenity -- portrayed as having two faces representing two separate personalities, one calm and serene, the other boil-ridden and mad, surrounded by ice; the moons are said to be their children * Bas, God of Morality, Law, Logic, and Meditation -- portrayed as blind, wielding a staff, and shepherding a flock of mortals; considered wife to Brulidir * Xith the All-Father, God of the World, the Heavens, Creation, and Magic -- portrayed as a giant made of stone, or sometimes very harsh flesh, growing trees from his back; said to be the father of all other Gods; said to have forged the world out of magic itself, the one constant in the universe Hells: * Ymarith, Pits of Gluttony * Orcoth, Den of Monsters * Rondoth, Fields of Darkness * Accoth, Sea of Shattered * Ebbereth, Land of the End Old Elven Beliefs Those who follow old elven beliefs (typically forest elves) revere the same pantheon of Gods--and fear the same pantheon of demons--as city elves. However, the key difference is in their reverence of trees, as opposed to the stars. They share with humans the belief in the Godhearts buried deep beneath the land, which are, to them, the seeds from which the Great Jungle once originated. Dwarven Beliefs The dwarves revere the Ahk, a trinity of gods. * Ket, God of the Stone, patron of the world they dwell within, credited for creating the world * Bak, God of the Form, patron of one's body, will, and life, credited for birthing the dwarves and allowing them free will * Zah, God of the Where, patron of physical change, credited for forming the dwarves bodies and the underground itself into suitable forms for life, the God who took the others' gifts and formed the dwarves into what they are now The Ahk had chosen knights, similar in almost every way to the concept of Arbiters, called the Drassath. Dwarves believe that the world will be destroyed from the inside out by an otherworldly force known as the Baarfrost, an icy winter that rises from the depths as the world cools. They believe themselves to be the last line of defense to hold it back from the surface, and surfacers will be pushed to lave Kandarria and flee to the moons. The Baarek are a monstrous underground race believed to herald the Baarfrost. Albraekian Belifes placeholder Kadron Beliefs placeholder Buyúd Beliefs The buyúd are monotheistic, and revere their god Yakul, as well as his many children. Orcish Beliefs placeholder Chaos & Order Theory The belief that only two gods exist, Chaos (male) and Order (female), who birthed the world together but fight every few hundred or thousand years for dominance. They fight to slay the other, and the loser is put into a long sleep that persists for the entirety of an age, and the victor reigns over the world. It is said that Chaos reigned before Rogga founded the Empire, and when Order defeated Chaos, Rogga was able to achieve her victor and found her Empire, making Rogga an avatar of Order. True Gods * Kumend Za, Lord of Space (dwarven) * Ebset, Lord of Time (dead) * Imsiah, Lord of Life (demon) * Pentag Mal, Lord of Death (god) * Kaddath, Lord of Earth (dwarven) * Zaratnith, Lord of Growth (dead) * Apezhan Ta, Lord of Flora (god) * Ophenea, Lord of Fauna (demon) * Algathel, Lord of Summer (god) * Xyo, Lord of Winter (god) * Galgalen, Lord of Dawn (god) * Vigoth, Lord of Dusk (demon) * Yykath, Lord of Sea (demon) * Elethiet, Lord of Sky (god) * Epheus, Lord of Sentience (god) * Brethennia, Lord of Structure (dwarven)